


Look beyond what you see

by silvermoongirl10



Series: Exists in a delicate balance [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Family, Gen, Mace finds Obi-Wan and brings him to the Jedi Order, Slight Hurt/Comfort, Soon a Battle of the Masters takes place, Who becomes Obi-Wan's Master?, Youngling Obi-Wan Kenobi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:53:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28795698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvermoongirl10/pseuds/silvermoongirl10
Summary: Mace is on Stewjon for a mission, when at the Force's pushing, he goes for a walk when he happens upon a certain copper haired toddler who is determined to join the Jedi.'He looked down and was met with the sight of a small toddler, with short copper hair that shone like flames in the sun and bright blue eyes that looked up at him innocently. Smiling, Mace crouched down so the child did not have to tilt his head back to look up at Mace. The child still held onto Mace's outer robe with one hand, and his other hand was curled into a fist that was currently resting in his mouth as he gently chewed on his own hand.'(Set when Obi-Wan is a youngling and briefly goes up to when he becomes a Padawan at age 12.)
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi & his family, Qui-Gon Jinn & Mace Windu
Series: Exists in a delicate balance [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978357
Comments: 10
Kudos: 212





	Look beyond what you see

Mace looked at expansive green mountains that surrounded the small village he had walked to from the spaceport on the pushing of the Force. He smiled as he passed a group of children as they ran past him laughing. The sunlight warmed his skin and not for the first time since arriving on Stewjon, Mace reflected on the beauty of the planet. The dirt road looked anything but primitive, it actually added to the charm of the village. With ivy crawling up the white stone walls of the houses and shops. Compared to Coruscant, Stewjon revealed in its natural beauty and by law refused to add too many technological updates so as to not ruin the natural beauty of the planet.

He had travelled to Stewjon to stand as the Jedi representative at the coronation of the new Queen of Stewjon, a nice relaxing mission, with spectacular food and even better, a comfortable bed. His best friend, and fellow Knight, Qui-Gon had left him a holo message filled with impolite language in response to the holo image Mace had sent him of the palace bed. Qui-Gon and his Padawan of a year, Feemor, had been sent out to the Outer-Rim and were quite literally slumming it on a swamp planet. Mace had been about to enter his ship, when a sudden burst from the Force made him turn away from his ship and begin a leisurely hour-long stroll to the village he was currently walking through.

Once he had reached the village square, Mace stopped and pondered over what his next steps should be. As beautiful as the village was, he highly doubted the Force had pushed him to the village to only admire its beauty. While he was lost in his thoughts, he had not noticed a small figure stumbling on unsteady feet towards him. Mace was pulled from his thoughts as he felt a gentle tug on his robes. He looked down and was met with the sight of a small toddler, with short copper hair that shone like flames in the sun and bright blue eyes that looked up at him innocently. Smiling, Mace crouched down so the child did not have to tilt his head back to look up at Mace. The child still held onto Mace's outer robe with one hand, and his other hand was curled into a fist that was currently resting in his mouth as he gently chewed on his own hand.

"Hello there little one," smiled Mace as he rested a hand on top of the flame-coloured hair.

"Hewo," came the mumbled response, the child smiling with his fist still in his mouth.

Mace opened his mouth to say something to the child when he heard a woman's voice call out across the square, bringing a smile to his face at the exasperated tone. "Obi-Wan! How many times do I need to tell you not to wander off?!" Mace looked up to see a woman with long copper hair that fell past her elbows, her face covered in freckles with piercing green eyes marching towards him with an exasperated roll of her eyes. Mace smiled as he picked up the child, Obi-Wan, the little one giggling at the height change.

The woman came to a stop and stared at her son with her hands on her hips, a small smile twitching her lips while she tried to appear stern. Obi-Wan just smiled innocently at his mother and then patted Mace's shoulder, "friend!" he stated. Mace jumped at the appearance of a bright Force presence surrounding Obi-Wan, a bright light bounced against his mental shields, a form of greeting untrained Force sensitive younglings used. Mace looked back the child in his arms with a new perspective, understanding the Force had wanted him to meet the child. Was Obi-Wan destined for the Jedi Order?

He looked back to Obi-Wan's mother and watched as a soft smile with a hint of sadness played across her face. She stepped closer to Mace and rested a hand on Obi-Wan's back, rubbing her hand soothingly up and down her son's back. "I had a feeling today was the day," she said, her soft voice lilting.

"Excuse me madam?" asked Mace in confusion. Despite being a Knight for two years, he had not completed a Search before and was unsure what he needed to do. A Search normally entailed the Jedi contacting parents, not the child in question and his mother finding the Jedi.

"I am Mag-Mar Kenobi," the woman introduced herself as. "I'm sorry for Obi-Wan and I being forward, but you see I am a little Force sensitive, not enough to be trained by the Jedi. But I get flashes of things I have not yet seen, or of events my eyes will never see." Mag-Mar smiled as she carded a hand through her son's soft baby hair, Obi-Wan gurgled in delight as he leaned his head against Mace's shoulder. Mace was not cooing in his head. _He was not_. "The day Obi-Wan was born, the moment I held him in my arms for the first time, I saw him as an adult, stood in Jedi robes with a blue bladed Lightsaber. And last week I saw a flash of Obi-Wan wandering off to meet the Jedi who would take him to the Jedi Temple." While Mag-Mar smiled, Mace could see the pain shining in her green eyes at the mere thought of her son growing up without her.

"Is that what you want?" he asked gently. He was a Jedi and served the Force, but Mag-Mar was a mother, and despite her and her son's Force sensitivity, as they were not Jedi, they did not have to serve the Force. And he would not take Obi-Wan to the Temple until he was absolutely sure the boy's parents were happy for their son to grow up as a Jedi.

Mag-Mar just shook her head with a smile, her copper hair swinging around her, "it is what Obi-Wan wants. And he is a stubborn one." Mace snorted when he felt Obi-Wan's mind push against his own, yes, this child was a stubborn one and he was insisting he wanted to go with Mace and become a Jedi Knight. Once he nodded, he passed Obi-Wan back to his mother, the boy grumbled until Mace gently urged the boy to be calm in his mother's arms through the Force. After today she would not get to hold her baby son again. Even if Obi-Wan ever returned to visit his family, he would not be a toddler, and Mace wanted Mag-Mar to be able to hold her son a little while longer. Obi-Wan calmed down and instantly snuggled up against his mother's neck, Mag-Mar smiled knowingly at Mace.

Without prompting, Mace began to follow Mag-Mar through the side streets of the village until they reached a modest sized house on the edge of the village. Within Mace could hear a loud rumbling laughter that must have belonged to Obi-Wan's father and the shrieking laughter of two other children. Mace felt comforted that he would not be taking away an only child, if Obi-Wan had no siblings, he wasn't sure he would have been able to take Obi-Wan with him. Prompting from the Force or not.

Mag-Mar opened the wooden front door with a quiet creek, and once Mace followed her through the door, the laughter suddenly ceased. Mag-Mar's husband, with dark brown hair and blue eyes, looked from his wife and son to Mace and back again. He nodded to himself, a heavy look entering his eyes as he looked down at the young boy and girl stood in front of him. The little girl was the oldest of the children, around ten years old, a spitting image of her mother, while the boy, who looked to be around six years old, was a spitting image of his father. It appeared Obi-Wan was the only child to be a mixture of both of his parents. The little girl looked up at Mace, her green eyes shining with understanding, "oh its today." Like her mother, the girl must have had some Force sensitivity.

The boy looked between his sister and father. He then turned slowly to Mace and frantically began shaking his head. "No! No, you can't have him!" he cried, his blue eyes filling with tears as he ran towards his mother and held his arms up for his brother.

"Owen," chided his father. Mag-Mar shook her head at her husband and lifted Obi-Wan down into his older brother's arms. The boy then fled the house, giving Mace a wide berth as he mumbled to Obi-Wan that he wouldn't let the Jedi take him. The girl shook her head sadly at her brothers, before she slowly followed Owen out of the house. The father sighed and walked towards Mace, holding his hand out and shook Mace's hand. "I am Aodhan Kenobi. I know why you are here Jedi Knight and I understand Obi-Wan must go, he is strong with the Force. But I had hoped not just yet."

"My name is Mace Windu. I understand it is hard to give your child to the Jedi, so if it is not something you want, then Obi-Wan will not go." Mace stated, he wanted Aodhan and Mag-Mar to be very clear that he would not take their child if there was a slight bit of hesitation.

Aodhan shook his head with a smile, much like Mag-Mar had. "No, Obi-Wan would be most disappointed with us if we did not let him go. A stubborn one our youngest is, despite only turning a year-old last month." Aodhan and Mag-Mar chuckled together while they shared a knowing look. Mag-Mar then directed Mace to a comfy chair beside the fireplace while she and Aodhan went to retrieve their children. Their daughter entered the home and came to introduce herself as Bronwyn, while Owen maintained a distance between them. Bronwyn went to sit beside Owen on the floor, who had Obi-Wan on his lap. The toddler leaned back against his brother's chest and smiled up at his sister. Obi-Wan then spotted Mace and made to clamber off Owen's lap and make his way to the Jedi. However, Owen tightened his arms around Obi-Wan's waist and prevented his brother from getting close to the Jedi. Obi-Wan squirmed and whimpered when he was prevented from leaving Owen's lap.

"Obi-Wan wants to go Owen," commented Bronwyn with a frown, as she took in Obi-Wan's red face as he struggled to get away.

Owen shook his head furiously. "You and Mama say he wants to go to the Jedi. But he can barely _talk_."

Aodhan stepped close to his children and knelt down in front of Owen and gently took Obi-Wan from his brother's arms. He then set Obi-Wan down and the toddler immediately stumbled around his mother and the kitchen table to reach Mace's feet. He dropped down so he was sitting and looked up at Mace with a bright smile as he grabbed onto the bottom of Mace's robe. Mace then looked back across the room as he heard Owen begin to sob into his hands. "Son, like your mother and sister, Obi-Wan can hear the Force and can communicate with them using the Force. Since the day he was born, your mother and I knew Obi-Wan was meant to be a Jedi. And we have been honest with you and Bronwyn, you knew one day Obi-Wan would be a Jedi. You've always admired the Jedi."

"That was before they wanted my brother!" cried Owen, he dropped his hands and looked at Mace and Aodhan pleadingly. "He's too young! He can't go yet!"

Bronwyn shook her head and hugged Owen against her side. "Jedi join the Jedi Order as younglings. Obi is the right age to go."

"But I don't want him to _go!_ " sobbed Owen, salty tears streaming down his face, making Mace's heart break for the child. He also distantly wondered if he had had siblings cry over his departure for the Order.

Mag-Mar swopped down and clutched Owen against her. "We will all miss Obi-Wan, but he is meant to be a Jedi. And you will know he is alright, because I know one day the whole galaxy will hear all about brave Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi." Mace looked down at Obi-Wan, and while a lot of parents would boast about their children's skills, looking at the toddler in front of him Mace saw the truth in Mag-Mar's words. One day Obi-Wan Kenobi would make a great Jedi Knight. But that would not comfort his family in the meantime.

Eventually, Obi-Wan's things were packed in a bag, with Owen shyly presenting Mace with a small, soft, green coloured blanket. "This is Obi-Wan's favourite blanket. He has to sleep with it," he stated sharply, his eyes suddenly hardening at the thought of his little brother being separated from his blanket.

"I will make sure he always has it with him in the Creche. I promise," Mace promised softly. As he carefully tucked the soft blanket into Obi-Wan's small bag.

When it was time to leave, Obi-Wan's family were walking with Mace through the village, each one taking it in turns to carry the youngest member of their family. Once they reached the edge of the village it was time for the Kenobi family to say goodbye to Obi-Wan. Mace stepped to the side so as to not overhear the private goodbyes. While Bronwyn and Own clutched at their father's hands, Mag-Mar carried Obi-Wan to Mace and carefully placed her son in the Jedi's arms. She pressed a kiss against her son's forehead and then smiled at Mace. "I know he is in good hands. My grandmother's sister joined the Jedi Order and lived a good and happy life. I want that for my son and I know he will get it."

"Your son will be loved and taken care of in the Jedi Order," Mace promised, watching as Obi-Wan leaned against his shoulder and grinned at his family. Causing Bronwyn and Owen to smile despite their tears.

"I know," smiled Mag-Mar. She then smiled at her son. "Be good Obi-Wan, my sweet Ben, and do please stop wandering off. I am sure the Jedi do not need a youngling getting underfoot."

* * *

It was safe to say, Obi-Wan had not listened to his mother's parting words. Reports Mace got from Master Jasal in the Creche was Obi-Wan was always wandering off. To the Quartermaster's office, to the main refectory, to the training salles, the Room of a Thousand Fountains and most memorably, the Council Room. In the last instance, Master Yoda had taken Obi-Wan back to the Creche, walking hand in hand, with a cackling laugh and a wide grin at the sight of worrying Creche Masters.

Mace often checked in with the Creche, watching as Obi-Wan made friends, his wanderings turning into pranks, especially with young Quinlan Vos at his side. As the years passed, and Mace trained Depa as his Padawan, he often felt drawn to Obi-Wan and wondered if he would become the boy's Master. It appeared however; another Master was drawn to the young boy from Stewjon. Mace's own best friend, Qui-Gon was often found in the Creche when Obi-Wan was eleven years old. In that year, both Feemor and Depa were Knighted, leaving Qui-Gon and Mace free to try and convince Obi-Wan each of them were good enough to become his Master. Leaving the poor boy confused as to why he had two well known Jedi Masters trying to gain his attention, he a mere Initiate.

"Yoda said he felt Obi-Wan was destined to be a part of his lineage, so obviously he is meant to be my Padawan!" stated Qui-Gon during a lively discussion in the refectory. Depa and Feemor, were sat with them, both rolling their eyes at their Masters' 'discussion', each taking bets on who gained Obi-Wan as a brother-Padawan.

"Qui-Gon. Yoda is Grandmaster to _both_ of us. Whichever one of us takes on Obi-Wan, Yoda will still have him in his lineage," retorted Mace with a roll of his eyes and a pointed stab of his fork into his meal.

"You do both realise that someone else might gain Obi-Wan as a Padawan right?" asked Feemor mildly as he took a careful bite of his lunch.

"Obi-Wan might not choose either of you," added Depa with a smirk before she took a sip of her tea.

Qui-Gon and Mace shared a blank look with each other and then looked back at their Padawans, both shaking their heads and simultaneously stating.

"No, that would not happen. He's meant for Yoda's lineage."

"He wouldn't do well with someone else for a Master."

* * *

A week later when Plo Koon was seen sniffing around the Creche and Obi-Wan. Well. Let's just say the matter was swiftly and efficiently taken care of by Mace and Qui-Gon both, in a fit of camaraderie.

After that they went back to tormenting each other over the matter of whose Padawan Obi-Wan would be.

* * *

Much to Mace's regret, a year later when Obi-Wan was twelve years old. He had to sit in the Council Room and watch as Qui-Gon formerly took Obi-Wan as his Padawan. Once Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had bowed and then left the Council Room, he turned to his left once he heard a sharp tutting sound.

"Yes?" questioned Mace with a raised eyebrow.

"Lost bet I have. Sure, you would send Qui-Gon on year long mission to take Obi-Wan as your Padawan yourself I was," stated Yoda, a considering look on his face and Mace could understand why. Just last month he vowed to do whatever he could to take Obi-Wan on as his Padawan.

"I had a vision. He is meant to be with Qui-Gon," replied Mace. Despite his regret over the matter, he had vividly seen Obi-Wan grow up through the years, getting taller with his Padawan braid growing alongside his height. He knew the Force wanted Obi-Wan to learn from Qui-Gon and through his new Master, meet his future Padawan. Obi-Wan would need to learn at Qui-Gon's side to gain the skills he would one day need. Mace didn't know what dark event was in Obi-Wan's future as a Jedi Master himself, but Mace knew with Qui-Gon's determination to ensure his Padawans gained the skills they needed to survive and his own skills to sharpen the already prevalent skills Obi-Wan had with a Lightsaber, then the young Padawan would learn all he needed to, in order to fight the dark and survive.

Despite Obi-Wan not being his own Padawan, Mace knew the youngster would be well cared for in Qui-Gon's lineage and he was sure Depa would also take an interest in the young Padawan. Mace had already faced down his former Padawan's disappointment, glinting sharply in her brown eyes, as she expressed her disappointment of not gaining Obi-Wan as a brother-Padawan. _"Master. Now I have to listen to Feemor gloat about how cute his brother-Padawan is. A brother-Padawan that was almost_ _ **my**_ _brother-Padawan."_

Mace smiled, and thought back to the day eleven years ago when he first met Obi-Wan. Knowing his promise to the Kenobi family would most certainly be kept. Obi-Wan would be well cared for and loved. He already had been under Master Jasal's watchful eye in the Creche. Now he had Qui-Gon and the rest of their stubborn, tea-loving and sarcastic lineage at his back. Yes, Obi-Wan would become a great Jedi Knight. Mace could already see the beginnings of the Knight the boy would become, but he did hope time would slow just a little. The toddler having grown so quickly already, Mace was not ready to see the boy all grown up too soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Aodhan is a Celtic name and Bronwyn is a Welsh name for anyone wondering. But I made Obi-Wan's mother's name in a similar format to his as in canon Obi-Wan has a brother named Owen.
> 
> In my verse, Yoda trained Dooku and Mace's Master, so they are both Yoda's Grandpadawans.


End file.
